It now had a membership of 533,000. recorded wage or price is unknown it is attributed to the calendar year in which the majority of the account year falls. The miners, their families and their communities deserved better than that. The strike was officially called to a halt on March the 3rd 1985. Many of the richest coal fields had been worked out and the number of miners had been decreasing over the previous few decades. In the former the Swansea, Dulais and Neath Valleys flowed south and west to the coast at Swansea and Neath. As much as they were producers, the quintessential homo faber, above ground miners were also fighters. To strengthen their cause, miners began to form unions in the mid-19th century. 5 West Midlands Police in 1984 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Day_147_-_West_Midlands_Police_-_Miner%27s_strikes_-_1984_(14495625275).jpg) by West Midlands Police (https://www.flickr.com/people/61718807@N07) licensed by CC BY SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en). Miners left their pits to fight the attempt of the Thatcher government to close the collieries, break the miners union and the labour movement in general, and open the way to a free market economy in which deregulated financial capitalism would be set free by the Big Bang of 1986. You could write several books about the 19C coal miners, and related subjects. One of Thatcher's key aims was to limit the role of government so that Britons changed from "dependent" to "self-reliant". Dalziel, The Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners Association, esp. Create flashcards in notes completely automatically. Unlike today, most of Britain's electricity came from coal, and so crisis struck when miners voted to strike over wages for six weeks between January and February 1972. The miners were on top of the world in the 1970s, able to hold the country to ransom to stop pit closures and raise wages. After 1945, Britain entered a period of economic hardship. By 1994, not a trace of the pit existed above ground. On 10 May 1984, officers of Strathclyde Police stopped 290 miners ("eight coachloads [63] ") from West Fife, Clackmannanshire and Stirlingshire on the A80 at Stepps, many miles from Ravenscraig and Hunterston, albeit bound mainly for picket-lines at Hunterston. Over 10 million students from across the world are already learning smarter. A settlement was reached when the coal board added an extra pound to wage rates after two-and-a-half days' intensive negotiations at the industry's London headquarters. Scargill had risen through the ranks of the National Union of Mineworkers in the 1970s. This had worked spectacularly well in the 1970s, but this time around McGregor and Thatcher were ready for the miners. An association of workers in a trade or profession which works to protect, and advance, their rights and interests, Moving aspects of the economy from private to government control, Selling nationalised industries to private buyers and investors, Due to a severe lack of fuel, Edward Heath announced that most commercial and industrial establishments could only use electricity, would give the Conservatives a more significant majority and give him more influence in negotiations. Nie wieder prokastinieren mit unseren Lernerinnerungen. Womens History Month facts: When is Women's History Month. The defeat of the strike led very quickly to the closure of most coal mines, a general deindustrialisation of the economy, the rapid privatisation of nationalised industries, the shattering of organised labour, growing unemployment, the hollowing-out of mining and other working-class communities, and a steady increase in social inequality in British society. Following a question about the so-called Winter of Discontent, James Callaghan reportedly said "Crisis? A whole culture and identity had grown around coal mining, and with the loss of the mine, much of the cultural activities and infrastructure that had grown around it, from brass bands, to working mens clubs to NCB-sponsored sports and leisure facilities disappeared along with it. Miners lived scattered across a wide radius and this clearly diminished camaraderie and solidarity. Who was in power for the 1972 UK Miners' Strike? Meanwhile the newspapers played up every skirmish for all it was worth. 90%. (Jack Corn/EPA) Appalachian coal production has been on shaky ground almost since the industry's inception in the mid 19th century. Many miners died prematurely. If you want more information about what cookies are and which cookies we collect, please read our cookie policy. From a purely economic point of view, it can be argued that it was. Regulations were put in place that required all miners to use the new safety lamps. These included the development of power loading and mechanized cutting. | Report other issues | © UK Parliament. In Nottinghamshire, where most of the miners did not come out on strike, a distinction has to be drawn between the more militant pits in the north of the county, bordering Yorkshire, such as Manton and Warsop Main, and pits further south, such as Annesley, where there was much less support for the strike. The Miners' Strike of 1984 was a turning point in British history. Get FREE access to HistoryExtra.com. NUM President Joseph Gormley said the latest pay deal remained in the spirit of the social contract. Safety has always been an issue for mining from its early days to more recent mining accidents and catastrophes. Scargill had organised the flying pickets witnessed in the 1974 UK Miners' Strike when he was president of the Yorkshire NUM. Tens of thousands of miners went on strike following an announcement by Coal Board Chairman Ian McGregor that 20 uneconomic pits would have to close, putting 20,000 miners out of work. 8 hour shift. We don't share your data with any third party organisations for marketing purposes. Scotlands worst mining disaster, which involved my great grandfather might have rated a mention. All Rights Reserved. And yet, out of the strike came a rebirth in many ways. Thatcher appointed the ruthless Ian McGregor to the head of the National Coal Board in 1983. They were known as hurries and thrusters. That way, he would still get a strike without having to run the risk of a national ballot. As the chairman of UK coal stated: The interviews will be archived in due course by the British Library. This important resource originally created by Ian Winstanley will give you a glimpse into the lives of your coal mining ancestors through photographs of major collieries, a collection of mining poems, mining maps, and 1842 Royal Commission Reports on the social and working conditions of those involved in the coal mining industry, from coal owners and . What was the salary for a coal miner in the 1950s? Thousands of miners were arrested, fined, imprisoned or sacked, some never to work again. 1975: The 35% wage increase was instituted. The police have been accused of doctoring their accounts of the conflict and using unjust force on the protesters. 248 reviews 16 salaries reported. This image from the Illustrated London News shows children waiting at a soup kitchen at Ince during the ninth week of a colliery strike in Lancashire. However, violence against working miners was reported from the beginning. in the 1870s. At these dates there were higher rates for power loaders which varied between districts. We found numerous cases of miners strikes due to a reduction in wages. Bonus. 24th January 1974: The 1974 miners' strike began. Scargill was unsuccessful as the stockpiled coal meant that MacGregor did not have to compromise. The Afan Valley flowing east to west to Port Talbot, provided something of a link between them. Some miners began returning to work from September, with many more returning by January as union pay ran out and some found it hard to pay for basic necessities. The Miners' Federation of Great Britain became the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on 1st January 1945. By 1990, the coal industry was still employer to some 50,000 people, however from 2016 onwards this figure had fallen to less than one thousand. Secondly, it is a local and regional approach, a close study of certain mining communities in the context of their region. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. What were flying pickets in the miners' strike? In 1970, Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson lost the general election to Edward Heath of the Conservatives. Source: History of Wages in the United States from Colonial Times to 1928, pp. Not least the problems with the various safety lamps, and the exploitation of the miners by coal owners throughout the century. The strike had politicised mining families and encouraged many of them to become involved in other causes, to become local councillors or even MPs. Overall the offer falls just short of figures demanded by the NUM's left-wing at last year's conference. | Home page | Mining Create and find flashcards in record time. After successful strikes in 1972 and 1974 which prevented pit closures, calls were made for strikes in the early 1980s, eventually leading to the strike of 1984-1985. The dependence on coal increased throughout the United Kingdom from when the first coal mine was sunk in Scotland under the Firth of Forth in 1575. asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT as Professor of Economic and Social History at the University of Glasgow, is providing expertise on the Scottish dimension of the project. The Great Anthracite Coal Strike started when 147,000 coal miners who were part of the United Mine Workers of America ( UMWA) went on strike in Eastern Pennsylvania from May to Oct. 1902. Did universities bring development to British colonial Africa? Sheffield, in the south, was the national headquarters of the NUM but mainly a steel town and a cosmopolitan regional capital, a focus for activists who supported the Miners Strike rather than of miners themselves. The first coal mine was sunk in Scotland, under the Firth of Forth in 1575. The NUMs strategy for thwarting McGregors plan was simple. Two striking miners dropped a 21kg concrete block from a bridge onto the car . Youve accepted all cookies. The intention at the outset of the project, was to focus on a fixed number of mining villages, one for each coalfield. document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) Thatcher's government reduced the power of the Trade Unions and the pressure they could exert on the government, ending the strike in 1985. I durst now say anything. Miners reported that they knew they could rely on their friends and neighbours for support in hard times. The figures referred to are supplied annually by the National Coal Board as part of a special exercise, and comparable later information is not yet available to my Department. Mr. Skeet asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will update the cash earnings of coal miners appearing on page 156 of the Employment Gazette of March 1981 as 138 per week plus additional items aggregating 28 per week for the week ended 11 October 1980. First, the miners were divided. What percent pay rise did Joe Gormley, president of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), demand in 1971? Since Scargill had been so public about his enthusiasm for confrontation, ministers had been building up coal stocks for years. Their pit would last a mere seven years. Fig. This Department does not have precise information about the numbers of workers in each of the categories shown. Most pickets throughout the strike were non-violent. 42,976 per year. On 6th March 1984, the NCB planned to reduce Britain's coal production by 4 million tonnes and put around 20,000 mining jobs at risk. The villagers, many of them in tears, cheered and clapped as the men of Grimethorpe Colliery marched back to work accompanied by the villages world-famous brass band. By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. TABLE 2 2. Let's find out about these strikes and the changing power dynamic between trade unions and the government. The film is set in Northern England in the mid-80s and explores gender stereotypes, different social classes, the 1984 miner's strike and the use of police violence. Unanswered Questions . When did Margaret Thatcher become the first female Prime Minister of Great Britain? The Case of Marcella, Medieval Mediterranean Communities and Movement 1150-1350, Seeing the Caribbean: Pissarro, Gauguin and Matisse colouring the other, Staging the archive: reconstructing early modern state authority through practice as research, The Business Dealings of a Nun and Scholar of Oxford in the 15th Century, The Crimean Moment and Crucible: Just War, Principles of Peace, and Debates in Victorian Wartime Thought and Culture, 1854-6, The execution of Mary, Queen of Scots: a European news sensation. The coal industry in Britain was finally privatised in 1994 and is now known as UK Coal, by this time there were only 15 deep mines still in production and as of March 2005 the number dropped to 8. This report from Dundee Courier found that a miner was charged in contravention of the Moines regulation Act when he recklessly unlocked his safety lamp while working in the mine. In 1984, 20 pits were to close, with 20,000 jobs to go- but more were to be announced. Children challenging educational inequality in England, 1944-1970. At first, this was not a problem as local union branches had deep pockets and could pay miners at least some of money they were no longer receiving from the NCB. By the 1980s the British coal industry was one of the safest and most efficient in the world. 3.3. He was sentenced to three months in prison. The degradation that is now rampant in the ex-mining communities has been well documented. AETNUK. Unemployment rocketed to 50%. the 1984 strike protested Thatcher's plans to close mines and de-nationalise the coal mining industry. The miners strike of 1984-85 was the longest and most acrimonious industrial dispute in Britains modern history. Average earnings by occupation and districts. She encouraged the police to crack down on picketing miners and badgered local Chief Constables to block the mobile flying pickets which had been so successful in the 1970s. asked the Secretary of State for Employment what were the basic wages and overall pay of unskilled and skilled miners for 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973. Miners had to demonstrate their masculinity. Hide. Miners wives, in even greater numbers, returned to education and became teachers, social workers or probation officers. In 1884 the average wage of the colliers in Whitfield colliery was Women and older children were used to move the tubs or wagons of coal out of the mines. When another miners' strike began in 1974, Mr Heath called a snap general election hoping to rally public support against the miners. However, as funds ran dry and families found it harder and harder to put food on the table, destitute miners started to trickle back to work through picket lines where they were branded scabs and sometimes physically assaulted. 1st March 1974: The general election resulted in a hung parliament. Miners' Strike: 1970s, 1980s, History & Facts | StudySmarter History Modern Britain Miners' Strike Miners' Strike Miners' Strike Birth of the USA American Constitution American Independence War Causes of the American Revolution Democratic Republican Party General Thomas Gage biography Intolerable Acts Loyalists Powers of the President Quebec Act 12th November 1973: The NUM stopped overtime and halved Britain's coal production. There was less support across the Midlands, and Nottinghamshire, in particular, was targeted by flying picketing in the hopes of preventing local miners from going in to work. The failure of the 1984-85 miners' strike helped revive the British economy, but had major implications for the future of labor unions and coal mining in Britain. The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) was led by Joe Gormley, who demanded a 43% wage increase for miners in 1971. From 1 March the price of domestic coal rose by 22% and the price of coal for industrial use rose by over 7%, to generate an extra 370m in revenue to pay for the wage increases. detailed information as may be readily available showing the numbers and groupings of employees in the coal mines working at the surface and face, respectively, whose basic rates of pay on 1st November 1973 were below the national average wage of 42 per week ; and how far below the average they fell. Coal mining jobs - Hours and earnings, 1919-1933; Coal mining wages by state, 1923 Even at this early stage, Scargills cause was probably doomed. And Thatcher had another powerful weapon on her side the police. But since the 1980s, the coal industry and its workers have been pushed to the periphery with disastrous results for the economic and cultural survival of British mining communities. The 1980s and 1990s saw much change in the coal industry, with privatisation, the industry contracting, in some areas quite drastically.